


Oh, Christmas Tree

by HubbyDean



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, daryl dixon - Freeform, holiday fic, pure fluff because I love Christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:52:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12872775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HubbyDean/pseuds/HubbyDean
Summary: With all the commotion that comes with a zombie apocalypse, it’s easy to miss a couple important dates. Reader is upset that everyone missed Christmas, and Daryl decides to do something about it. Pure holiday-themed fluff.





	Oh, Christmas Tree

It was cold.

Not the kind of cold that sent everyone into hiding, desperately seeking out any source of warmth. It was cold in a way that made everything seem fresh, and crisp. 

Frost covered the grass in a thin layer. It clung to spider webs, making them glisten with a silver shine. Floorboards remained cool, noses were red, and at least two people commented on the temperature on your 10 minute walk to your place of work.

Despite the cold, Alexandria was buzzing. Whilst the cold meant mild complaints and frequent colds, it also meant that the walkers were less of an issue. Their old, dead bones almost froze completely in the winter. They became slower, easier to deal with, and with the snow, a lot of them never managed to get more than a few feet at a time.

You could hear some kids on the street below, hollering and laughing with delight. It brought a smile to your face. After a hard few weeks, it was good to hear joyful screams instead of the much more morbid alternative. 

The bed shifted beside you, a soft grunt escaping the man’s lips. You smiled, dropping a kiss to the bicep you lay on, as Daryl began to stir.

“Morning,” you whispered, snuggling deeper into the blankets.

“Mornin’,” Daryl gruffly replied. “Time is it?”

“After nine,” you answered. 

Daryl sniffled, and buried his head closer to yours. 

“Gon’ have to get up,” he breathed. “Supposed to head out soon.”

“Soon,” you agreed. “Not now.”

With that, you curled into Daryl’s side, his arm immediately tightening around you. You nuzzled against his neck, enjoying the blissful warmth of the 3 blankets on top of you.

Daryl always complained about them. “Ain’t no one that cold,” he would say as you buried yourself so completely that only your head was showing. He would climb into bed, where you’d poke your cold toes against his thigh to prove that, yes, you really were that cold.

After a few more moments of cuddling, the need to use the bathroom got the better of you. As Daryl dressed for the day, you headed downstairs. With Daryl headed out for a run, in the freezing cold, the least you could do was heat up some breakfast.

As you waited for the bowl of oatmeal to warm up, the calendar pinned to the fridge caught your eye. The last date marked off had been the 20th. Making up the numbers on your hand, a soft gasp left you.

“What?” Daryl asked as he entered the kitchen. He took the oatmeal, nodding his head in thanks. Chewing slightly, he motioned to the calendar.

“It ain’t the 20th.”

“I know that,” you pouted, grabbing the market. “With everything, keeping the calendar up didn’t really cross my mind. How many days has it been?”

Daryl thought for a moment, “8.”

“We missed Christmas,” you sighed sadly, marking off the rest of the dates. 

You felt Daryl approach you from behind, eyeing the calendar. “We had other things.”

“Still,” you said, surprisingly upset. “I had plans. I was gonna have a big dinner. We wouldn’t have presents cause it’d be too hard, but... I thought we could at least have a tree.”

“You were really gon’ put that much effort into it?” Daryl asked, causing you to nod.

“Holidays are special,” you replied with a shrug. “And I always loved Christmas.”

“I’m sorry,” Daryl’s hands rubbed your arms, soothingly travelling up and down. You turned in his embrace, placing your hands on his chest.

“It’s not your fault,” you gave him a small smile. Leaning up, you pressed your lips against his.

A knock on the door pulled the two of you apart.

“Hey, sleepin’ beauty, it’s time to go!” Glenn’s voice called through the front door. 

You giggled as Daryl growled softly. He pressed a kiss to your forehead, and grabbed up his crossbow, ready to go and make Glenn pay for his interruption.

***  
It was hours later, long after the sun had gone down, when the group returned from the run.

After spending the day at Rick’s place, you jumped up when Michonne strolled through the door.

“He’s already at your place,” the woman answered, greeting Rick with a kiss. “We won’t be offended if you run off.”

Baby Judith complained only for a second as you set her back into her playpen. You bid your friends a goodnight, and hurried off to reunite with Daryl.

Runs always made you nervous, even when you were on them. However, at least being on them meant you were there to see what happened. There was no waiting around to see if someone wasn’t coming home when you were already in on the action.

So whenever you sat one out, you spent the entire day worrying. The fact that Daryl was home, safe and waiting, made you walk that tiny bit faster.

When you finally reached the house the two of you shared, you took the porch steps two at a time, and flung open the front door.

Daryl was already in the hall, seemingly waiting for you. You hurried over to him, wrapping your arms around him and giving him a relieved kiss.

“Everythin’ go ok?” You asked, earning a nod.

“Got somethin’ to show you,” he said. He moved behind you, covering your eyes with his hands. He gently nudged you forward with his hip, taking extra care that you didn’t bump into anything.

“What’s all this about?” You asked as you finally came to a stop. Daryl’s breath tickled your ear as he spoke.

“Open your eyes and see.”

Taking his hands in yours, you lowered his hands from your face, and your mouth dropped open at the sight.

A Christmas tree, no bigger than 4 feet, sat on a table in the corner. It wasn’t anything extravagant. In fact, it looked as though it was supposed to be taller, but it was enough to bring tears to your eyes.

Battery operated fairy lights gave the tree a warm golden glow, and with the fire blazing beside it, the whole living room felt like the cozy Christmas’s from your childhood.

“It ain’t much, but -“

You turned around and flung yourself into his arms.

“It’s perfect,” you sniffled, kissing his scruffy jaw. “It’s everything.”

“I ain’t ever had a proper Christmas, can’t exactly give you one now,” Daryl ducked his head. “But I can give you this.”

With a beaming smile, you grasped his hand and pulled him over to the couch. Snuggling up beside him, with a perfect view of the tree and the roaring fire, you cupped his cheek.

“You give me everything every day, Dixon,” you smiled. “I love you.”

As always, a slight blush rose on the back of his neck. Despite your constant telling him, and your complete comfort with affection, Daryl was still getting used to all of it.

Still, he cleared his throat, and whispered the words softly back. He leaned in, pressing his lips softly to yours.

“Merry Christmas,” he said.

“Merry Christmas, Daryl Dixon.”


End file.
